Assignment of the homeobox A10 gene (HOXA10) to porcine chromosome SSC18q23-->q24 by FISH and confirmation by hybrid panel analyses.

Homeotic or homeobox genes represent selector genes involved in the genetic control of development and organization of the body plan. They are characterized by a common highly conserved sequence stretch of approximately 60 amino acids, the homeodomain (McGinnis et al., 1984). In vertebrates, four homeobox gene clusters (HOXA, HOXB, HOXC, and HOXD) have been described (Scott, 1992). In each cluster, the Hox genes are organized along the chromosome corresponding to their function along the anteroposterior axis of the individual (McGinnis and Krumlauf, 1992). Using heterologous HOXA11 probes Lahbib-Mansais et al. (1996) mapped the HOXA cluster to porcine chromosome SSC18q21→q24. Here we report the localization of the porcine HOXA10 gene to chromosome SSC18q23→q24 by FISH and confirm the position by the use of hybrid panels.